AT&T, which has an exclusive agreement to sell the Apple handset in the U.S., has received over 1 million inquiries from people seeking more information on the combined cellphone, iPod and Internet device.

Since the carrier's deal with Apple will reportedly span 5 years, people planning to purchase an iPhone will need to join AT&T's wireless network. In some cases, that will mean jumping ship from their existing wireless providers.

The unusually large number of non-AT&T customers expressing interest in purchasing the Apple device "speaks volumes," Stephenson said during a speech at the NXTcomm communications conference in Chicago.

"I really believe this is going to be game changer," he added. "Not only for us but the industry at large."

While it's too early to tell how many of those consumers expressing interest in iPhone will actually go out and purchase one, a recent analysis by investment bankers at Bear Stearns estimates the Apple device will add nearly 1 million new subscribers to AT&T's wireless network during the second half of 2007.

An additional 3.5 million are likely to follow next year, the firm said.

What's most fascinating to me is the phrase "... on Apple's overly hyped iPhone handset ...". I've tried to to a quick review of what Apple has put out, and overall, it very little. They do use the words "revolutionary mobile phone" occasionally but overall their direct efforts on this seems to have been minimal. The "... on Apple's overly hyped iPhone handset ..." seems to be due entirely to the people saying " ...on Apple's overly hyped iPhone handset ..." (not just referring to Appleinsider, but the press)

About 40 percent of people seeking information on Apple's overly hyped iPhone handset are not presently AT&T wireless customers,

That doesn't surprise me since many Apple users are generally willing to spend a bit more to get better quality. Likewise potential iPhone buyers are likely to be using a premium phone service - not AT&T. Cingular/AT&T is not my phone service provider but they will now get some of my business.

I thought one in four US mobile phone subscribers are with AT&T. I don't think a third is a very interesting number. If three fourths of the inquiries were with competitors, then that might be interesting.

I live in Iowa City,IA and at one of our local ATT stores the manager said apple may be making the shipment ON the 29th, thus not being able to sell till the next morning (saturday). This seems a little odd, but it's what he is telling visitors at this point. I grabbed his card so I can call in the days leading up to the 29th.

What is the situation with phones with SIM cards? Is it simply a matter of switching the SIM card to switch to a different provider? Verizon doesn't have 'em so I don't have a clue.

Is there any precedence for phones being locked so that they will only accept SIM cards from a certain provider?

SIM cards are awesome. For example I have 5 phones. I kept every phone I had when I started with my provider. Whenever I want to use one of the other phones I just pop the sim card in the other phone and use it. Why would anyone want to do this? Well let's say you are going camping, you want to take a phone but not your nicest one. So you grab one of your not so nice phones and take that instead. You don't have to call anyone when you switch phones, you just do it.

So unlocked phones allow you to use a phone from Cingular with an T-Mobile SIM Card. So if someone hacks the iPhone and unlocks it then you could use it with T-Mobile. You might not be able to use Visual Voicemail. But I am sure everything else could be used. I think the iPhone will be Unlocked, it's only a matter of time. The Nintendo DS was thought do be unhackable and it has been hacked. So has the Sony PSP.

Also, if your phone is triband, you can go to Europe and buy a prepaid sim card. Use your phone for calls around Europe for a lot less than using say Cingular.

It's a shame that Apple's Iphone will frustrate anyone who tries to use it in NYC. I've worked in NY all my life and you can ask anyone who has ATT's service just how bad it is. People are going to have to join ATT so they can buy this phone and soon realize that the phone part of it is useless.
When I was an ATT customer I asked them why service was almost non existent in every building I walked into, their answer was "well if your inside you should use a landline phone".
Apple has traded quality of service for quantity. They went with ATT because they have the biggest customer base and they were willing to bend over and let Apple have their way with them as far as dictating the rules of the game. Everyone I talk to here says the same thing I do, the Iphone looks like one of the best products to come out of Apple but I'll never buy one. Buying a phone that you can't use as a phone makes no sense.
Apple should have just sold them at Apple stores and let the people who buy them decide what service they want to use.
If your thinking of buying an Iphone and live in NYC do some research and you'll see I'm right.

I'm eagerly awaiting the Shaw Wu report stating the survey indicates that some current non-AT&T subscribers will eventually become AT&T subscribers and the iPhone will be one of the significant factors affecting their decision. Target price: $160.

Love the iPhone, but i'm not sure about AT&T... although AT&T has more customers, verizon seems to have more coverage (in Northern California)... However, if AT&T expands their GSM network, I might consider it in 1.5-2 yrs.

The sad thing is....a lot of these folks don't even care about the iPhone. They are just going to buy the phone and sell it on ebay.

Who'd sell it, and who'd buy it? You're going to spend $1000 on a phone and service, then try hawking the whole thing on ebay hoping there's enough apple-zealot-idiots out there willing to spend that kind of money for a phone with a web browser on it? Oh, wait, we are talking apple-zealots, aren't we. Never mind, they'd spend big $$$ for anything Jobs threw their way...

What's most fascinating to me is the phrase "... on Apple's overly hyped iPhone handset ...". I've tried to to a quick review of what Apple has put out, and overall, it very little. They do use the words "revolutionary mobile phone" occasionally but overall their direct efforts on this seems to have been minimal. The "... on Apple's overly hyped iPhone handset ..." seems to be due entirely to the people saying " ...on Apple's overly hyped iPhone handset ..." (not just referring to Appleinsider, but the press)

The phone is over-hyped. Perhaps not by apple and AT&T, but why should they waste their money when they've got the blogosphere and the mac-sites all agog over this thing.

honestly, what are the plans gonna look like? this is what i'm concerned about.

i dont want to get killed on charges every month. i hope apple realizes this business, people cant afford 90 dollars a month on a phone service.

my service with Sprint right now is killer at 60 dollars a month, i have to see what AT&T wil give me before i get this phone.

My guess is that there is only going to be one iPhone plan..

If there were to be multiple plans, they would need to be announced ahead of time to give people time to choose.. With people camping out in front of Apple stores, they are not going to want them holding up the lines while they look over the different voice and data plans..

Steve Jobs is very much into the "one price for all" method.. And since iPhone is such an internet-centric device, it makes sense to make it an unlimited plan.. People are not going to want to worry about being nickel and dimed for every text message, email received or web page visited..

I think the price will be $99 for unlimited voice and data. Unlimited voice minutes, unlimited internet, and unlimited mail and texting.

If there were to be multiple plans, they would need to be announced ahead of time to give people time to choose.. With people camping out in front of Apple stores, they are not going to want them holding up the lines while they look over the different voice and data plans..

Steve Jobs is very much into the "one price for all" method.. And since iPhone is such an internet-centric device, it makes sense to make it an unlimited plan.. People are not going to want to worry about being nickel and dimed for every text message, email received or web page visited..

I think the price will be $99 for unlimited voice and data. Unlimited voice minutes, unlimited internet, and unlimited mail and texting.

A revolutionary phone needs a revolutionary plan.

I agree - simple pricing would be different than the typical ala carte confusion.

-JD-- "If Apple wasn't so greedy, they would build G6's and give them away!"

Called T Mobile about my contract status and when asked why I was interested in canceling I said, "something to do with June 29th." The rep laughed and said that he was told to tell folks like myself calling to look into canceling that the iPhone WILL in fact take any GSM sim card from any carrier, save on the visual voice-mail, you will be able to use the phone.

And yes I did press the question about where he (the rep) was recieiving his information from. Was not able to comment further.

So if your in contract with T-Mobile 611 them and try and get more info.

Called T Mobile about my contract status and when asked why I was interested in canceling I said, "something to do with June 29th." The rep laughed and said that he was told to tell folks like myself calling to look into canceling that the iPhone WILL in fact take any GSM sim card from any carrier, save on the visual voice-mail, you will be able to use the phone.

And yes I did press the question about where he (the rep) was recieiving his information from. Was not able to comment further.

So if your in contract with T-Mobile 611 them and try and get more info.

Sounds promising though.

Though this would be incredible--Apple selling unlocked iPhones directly for use on any GSM network, leaving AT&T the "exclusive carrier" selling the iPhone--my gut tells me that this is either just a rep making it up, or T-Mobile's corporate "attempt" at trying to stave off a large exodus of customers by holding out the promise that unlocked iPhones will be available at some point.

p.s. even if it "works" on the T-Mobile network with your existing SIM & contract, that doesn't mean you will get an iPhone unless you sign up for two years of (probably pricey) service with AT&T

I thought one in four US mobile phone subscribers are with AT&T. I don't think a third is a very interesting number. If three fourths of the inquiries were with competitors, then that might be interesting.

I think JeffDM makes an important observation. If: (i) 75% of US mobile users at non-ATT, (ii) the proportion of subscribers coming up for contract renewal is roughly similar across major providers, and (iii) even allowing for some "stickiness" associated with unwillingness to switch carriers (attenuated, however, by the fact that ATT hasn't made clear what it's policy is towards its own likely switchers), only 40% of the enquiries being non-ATT actually sounds a bit disappointing.

Huh? What if I bought it at the Apple Store (incl. online)? Surely, Apple is not in the business of credit-checking and signing up people for ATT cellphone plans?

Since there's absolutely no real information available, it's all just speculation.

However, the conventional wisdom is that Apple will be getting a cut of all the 2-year AT&T contracts--so why would they let you buy it unlocked and take it to T-Mobile? And for that matter, why would AT&T agree to be the "exclusive" carrier if they knew that most people would realize they could buy it at the Apple store and use the iPhone on T-Mobile *and* that T-Mo offers better price plans (on both voice and data) *and* they wouldn't be locked into a 24-month contract?

I thought one in four US mobile phone subscribers are with AT&T. I don't think a third is a very interesting number. If three fourths of the inquiries were with competitors, then that might be interesting.

Now that you mention it it does seem a bit low. I sort of doubt anyone is actually keeping track of who's inquiring though. Probably a made up number anyway. I think that most people who are really serious about buying an iPhone already know where to find the information (like on the web) so they aren't likely to seek out and ask the clerk at the AT&T store unless they are already there as a current AT&T customer.

Since there's absolutely no real information available, it's all just speculation.

However, the conventional wisdom is that Apple will be getting a cut of all the 2-year AT&T contracts--so why would they let you buy it unlocked and take it to T-Mobile? And for that matter, why would AT&T agree to be the "exclusive" carrier if they knew that most people would realize they could buy it at the Apple store and use the iPhone on T-Mobile *and* that T-Mo offers better price plans (on both voice and data) *and* they wouldn't be locked into a 24-month contract?

Well that is true. However, we are far and few (those who dare to even take the sim out of our phones). One of two things. Apple's inherent genius of "bring it to the masses" through AT&T will allow control over the supply/demand - giving them 2 or 5 years to fine tune version 2.0 which will be fully unlocked and ready to take any sim at that point in time. Or TWO, APPLE will stick with AT&T for all the luddlites out there whom are going to buy-in and drive growth - leaving all us geeks have our way with unlocked phones directly from the store and/or web purchases.

This whole AT&T or nothing business is very UN (THINK) Different to me.

This whole AT&T or nothing business is very UN (THINK) Different to me.

From what I've read and heard At&T was the only carrier willing to bend to Apple's demands as far as plans pricing etc... And considering that one of the phones features (visual voicemail) was developed jointly with AT&T, there wasn't a whole lot of choice in the matter.

From what I've read and heard At&T was the only carrier willing to bend to Apple's demands as far as plans pricing etc... And considering that one of the phones features (visual voicemail) was developed jointly with AT&T, there wasn't a whole lot of choice in the matter.

But we all agree that we could live without this feature if given a choice?

Well that is true. However, we are far and few (those who dare to even take the sim out of our phones). One of two things. Apple's inherent genius of "bring it to the masses" through AT&T will allow control over the supply/demand - giving them 2 or 5 years to fine tune version 2.0 which will be fully unlocked and ready to take any sim at that point in time. Or TWO, APPLE will stick with AT&T for all the luddlites out there whom are going to buy-in and drive growth - leaving all us geeks have our way with unlocked phones directly from the store and/or web purchases.

But I don't want to have to wait 2-5 years!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cpt K

This whole AT&T or nothing business is very UN (THINK) Different to me.

I wholeheartedly agree! This continues to be my biggest stumbling block with Apple on the iPhone.

No contradiction, just common sense--AT&T has been named the exclusive carrier, period. Right now with any other phone you purchase from T-Mobile or Cingular/AT&T, though you can technically use the phone on any GSM network, it is typically locked to the carrier you purchase it from. Often a carrier will unlock it for you if you tell them you are traveling oversees or are outside of contract. And for most phone brands there are third parties that will unlock your phone or provide you a code for a price.

What remains to be seen is the unlocking policy for the iPhone and when, or if, it could ever be unlocked by anyone but Apple. But I believe (*my hunch*) that, YES, Apple is going to make you sign up with AT&T before they even let you touch an iPhone box--maybe with a kiosk or special setup at the Apple store that would be similar to buying a phone at Best Buy, Circuit City or Walmart. At Apple's online store it may direct you to att.com to sign up before they will ship you an iPhone. Or alternatively, it may just not work until it is activated with a new AT&T iPhone account.

It's a shame that Apple's Iphone will frustrate anyone who tries to use it in NYC. I've worked in NY all my life and you can ask anyone who has ATT's service just how bad it is. People are going to have to join ATT so they can buy this phone and soon realize that the phone part of it is useless.
When I was an ATT customer I asked them why service was almost non existent in every building I walked into, their answer was "well if your inside you should use a landline phone".
Apple has traded quality of service for quantity. They went with ATT because they have the biggest customer base and they were willing to bend over and let Apple have their way with them as far as dictating the rules of the game. Everyone I talk to here says the same thing I do, the Iphone looks like one of the best products to come out of Apple but I'll never buy one. Buying a phone that you can't use as a phone makes no sense.
Apple should have just sold them at Apple stores and let the people who buy them decide what service they want to use.
If your thinking of buying an Iphone and live in NYC do some research and you'll see I'm right.

R

Well, master negotiator that he is, Steve may have built in some contractual "outs" in case at&t's service falls below expectations...